Wheeled vehicle



Feb. 16, 1960 ANDERSON ETAL 2,925,186

WHEELED VEHICLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 19, 1958 0 mm MEE ww mAA F 8 W ML Y B ATTORNEY E: E-E. A-

Feb. 16, 1960 WHEELED VEHICLE Filed Dec. 19, 1958 I J. L- ANDERSON ETAL v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN V EN TO S JAMES LANDERSON By LEWIS F. ANDERSON A TTORNEY United States Patent 2,925,186 WHEELED VEHICLE James L. Anderson and Lewis F. Anderson, Camden, SC. Application December 19, 1958, Serial No. 781,597 1 Claim. or. 214-506) The present invention relates to a wheeled vehicle or cart for manipulating and transporting a pallet 01' con- ,tainer holding wood or small logs.

An important object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above-mentioned character of simplified construction and which can be manipulated by a single operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide adjustable means for holding the pallet or the like *in a selected position upon the vehicle or cart so that the center of gravity of the load will be slightly in advance of the axle of the cart.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following description. In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a vehicle or cart embodying the invention, showing the bed-frame in the horizontal or closed position,

Figure 2 is a similar clined,

Figure 3 is a pallet removed,

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4-4 of view, showing the bed-frame inplan view of the vehicle or cart with the Figure 3,

i e 5 is an exploded perspective view of the attaching bracket and adjustable coupling, I Figure 2c is a plan view of the front horizontal baiof pallet and apertured ear, taken on line Ila- 2h of Figure 2. In the drawings, where for the purpose of illustration 18 shown a preferred embodiment of our invention, the numeral designates a bed-frame which may be rectangular and includes longitudinal sides 11 and a front transverse end 12. The elements 11 and 12 are shown as L-shaped in cross section, providing up standing flanges 13 and 14. We contemplate making the sides 11 and ends 12 U-shaped in cross section or they may be made entirely flat. The rear ends of the sides 11 are rigidly connected by a transverse bar 15 as shown. The sides 11 are provided with openings 16, which are longitudinally spaced, and these openings receive the upper portions of rollers 17, which project slightly above the sides 11, as shown. While the rollers 17 are shown as cylindrical, we contemplate forming these rollers with grooved peripheries for guiding the pallet, to be described. We may also equip the rollers with flanges at their ends. When the rollers serve to guide the pallet, the flanges 13 may be omitted. The rollers 17 are arranged between depending ears 18, rigidly mounted upon the sides 11, and the rollers are rotatably mounted upon these ears by pins 19 or the like.

The bed-frame Ill has its sides 11 extending over an axle 20, arranged substantially at the longitudinal center of the bed-frame. The sides 11 are rigidly secured to the axle 20 by welding or any suitable means, and the flanges 13 may be welded to upstanding plates or 2,925, 1C Pltented F b-1 5? 2 gussets 21, rigidly s'ciiie'd to the axle 20, and preferably formed integral therewing Exteiidin'g above the axle 20 are upstanding cranks 22,- r'i'gidly' secured to the axle 20 and gusse'ts' 21 These cranks carry spindles 23, upon which wheels 24 are 'rota'tzihly mounted,

The vehicle; or c"art comprises a tongue-frame 25, including a ton ue 26, and diagonal Braces 27, rigidly secured to this tongue. The rear end of the tongue 26 is pivotally secured to cars 28, by means of a pin 29, and these ears are rigidly mounted upon the axle 20 at its longitudinal center. The diagonal braces 27 are provided at their rear ends with ears 30, rigidly'secured thereto, and the ears 30 are arranged'btween pairs of ears 31, rigidly secured to the axle 20 inwardly of and near its ends, by means of pins 32; It is thus apparentthat the tongue-frame 25 is pivotally connected with the axle 20 so that the axle may readily turn upon its longitudinal axis with respect to the tongue-frame, V

Pivotally connected with the forward end of the tongue 26 is a coupling'33, to be arranged between companion couplings 34 and detachably connected therewith by a pin 35. The coupling 34 is secured to a. drawbar 36, which is secured to the rear of a tractor or the like. V

The numeral 37 designates a pallet cream for hold ing the load, which may consist or small logs or wood, such as is used in the paper making industry. This pallet or frame comprises spas Qrspaeed U-shaped frame members 38, including upstanding sides and horiziital bottoms 39. The forward and rear upstanding sides 38 of the U-shaped frame members are rigidly bo'iinect'ed by horizontal bars 40. The lower ears lllhaveaperjtured couplings 41 rigidly secured thereto; The couplings 4-1 are arranged near and at an elevation above the hefizontal bottoms 39, as shown: r a

The numeral 42 designates an attaehi "plate, arranged adjacent to the tongue 26' and the rot-Ward. ends of the diagonal braces 27 and this attaching plate is rigidly mounted upon the tongue '26 and'diagonalbfacesby any suitablemeans, such as byweldin'g'. Ribs 42' are dis posed between the plate 42-and=the Bars 27. The forward end 12 of the bed-frame" rests upon the attaching plate 42, when the b'ed frame is in the horizontal pest tion, Figure 5. t t

Rigidlyinounted upon the attaching plate 42am extending above the same, Figure 5, are vertical cars 43, which are spaced, and are provided with horizontal openings 44. A bracket 45 is rigidly mounted upon the front frame end 12, and includes vertical sides 46. These sides have notches 47 formed therein, to receive the vertical flange 14 of the front end 12, as shown. The sides 46 are also rigidly secured to the flange 14. The sides 46 are arranged to be moved between the ears 43 and these sides have horizontal openings 48, to register with the openings 44 and to receive a removable coupling pin 49. The bracket 45 also includes horizontal Webs 50 and 51, rigidly secured to the sides 46, and forming with the sides a horizontal socket 52. The sides 46 have horizontal openings 53 which lead into the socket 52.

The numeral 54 designates a tubular coupling, which may be square in cross section. This tubular coupling has sides provided with longitudinal rows of horizontal openings 55, for receiving a removable coupling pin 56. The coupling 54 is longitudinally adjustably mounted upon the bracket 45 within the socket 52. The tubular coupling is provided at its rear end with horizontal ears 57, for receiving a removable coupling pin 58, adapted to be inserted within the aperture of the ear 41 at the front of the pallet.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

The load including the wood or logs is introduced into the pallet, manually or by any conventional means, and the horizontal bottom of the pallet may then rest upon the ground. The, loaded pallet is then mounted upon the bed-frame and to do this the bed-frame is arranged in the inclined position, as shown in Figure 2. The loaded pallet is now moved longitudinally of the bed-frame in a forward directionyand the bottoms 39 will travel over the rollers 17. When the pallet has reached the forwardmost position with respect to the bed-frame, Figure 1,

the ear or coupling 41 will enter the space between the T,

ears 57 of the coupling 54 and the forward car 41 will then be locked to the coupling 54. The coupling 54 is previously longitudinally adjusted with respect to the bedframe so thatjthe center, of gravity of the loaded pallet will be slightly in advance of the axles 23 and the bedframe will automatically'move to the horizontal position. When this occurs, the bracket 45 will have its sides 46 arranged betweenthe vertical ears 43 and these parts will be connected v by the coupling pin 49.

When it is desired to remove the pallet from the bedframe, the bracket 45 is released from the cars 43 by removing the coupling pin 49. The bed-frame may then be horizontallyinclined 'by raising the forward end of the bed-frame: by engagement with the handle 14a,

rigidly secured to flange 14. When the bed-frame is held inclined, the coupling pin 58is removed and the ear or coupling 41 is disengaged from the coupling 54, and the pallet will then move downwardly toward the lower end of the inclined bed-frame. When the vehicle or cart is moved forwardly slightly, the pallet will move from the bed-frame and again be positioned upon the ground. The apertured ears or couplings 41 may be engaged by any suitable means, manually or power-operated, for the further handling of the loaded pallets The loaded pallet may he completely moved, upon the, inclined bed-frame by manual manipulation or by power-operated elements attached to the front or back ears or couplings 41.

When the ground issoggy, it would be ditfcult to move the pallet when loaded from position upon the ground to the forward or lockedposition on the bed-frame 10. Under these circumstances, the empty pallet is applied to the bed-frame and locked in the forward position upon the bed-frame'by connecting the ear'41 with the ears 57 by the pin 58. The -bed-frame is then looked in the horizontal position to the tongue-frame 25, by passing the pin 49 through the apertures 44 and 48. The tongueframe is now secured. to the tractor drawbar 36 and the empty pallet mounted horizontally upon the bed-frame and tongue-frame is transported by the tractorto the 4 desired loading position, and the empty pallet is now loaded with the wood or logs. The tractor now moves the loaded pallet to the unloading position which may be at the highway, and the bed-frame is then inclined, Figure 2, and the loaded pallet deposited on the ground, and is'then transferred to a truck or the like for final transportation. r

It is thus seen that the pallet may be locked in the forward position on the bed-frame 10, when the pallet is filled with the load or when empty.

It is to be understood that the form of our invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

Apparatus for transporting wood or small logs, 'comprising a bed-frame, a'transverse axle arranged near the longitudinal center of thebed-frame and'secured to =the bed-frame, wheels carried by the axle, a tongue device extending beneath'the bed-frame and pivotally connected with the axle, the bed-frame overlapping the tonguedevice, an upstanding bracket rigidly secured to the forward vend of the bed-frame and including a generally horizontal socket, said bracket having its lower portion projecting forwardly beyond the bed-frame, a pair of upstanding ears rigidly mounted upon the tongue device forwardly of the bed-frame and receiving the projecting portion of the bracket between them, means detachably connecting the projecting portionof the bracket and the ears, a gen erally horizontal coupling mounted within the socket, means adjustably connecting the coupling with the bracket so that the coupling may behorizontally adjusted and locked in the-selected horizontal adjusted position with respect to the bracket, a pallet for movement upon the bed-frame, an element secured to the forward side of the 1 pallet, and means detachablyconnecting the last-named element with the coupling. 7 r

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Nelson Jan. 6, 1959 

